Depending on your revenge story preferences, the brutally pretentious "Descent" is either a payback flick with an agonizingly formless middle, or a soul-darkening head trip bracketed by a crude vengeance tale. Mostly, though, it's indie provocation trapped between shock and blah. Initially, the story is an all-too-familiar one: smart, boy-wary female college student trusts the wrong frat guy.

Universal's "The Best Man," a romantic comedy about a group of African American yuppies who experience love and conflict as they prepare for a wedding, and the WB's comedy "The Steve Harvey Show" were the leaders Wednesday in nominations for the 30th annual NAACP Image Awards.

SHOWTIME premiered quirky comedies "Californication" and "Weeds" at the Cinerama Dome on Aug. 1. Mary-Kate Olsen walked the red carpet alongside her "Weeds" cast mate 2. Mary-Louise Parker, while Mary Jane made an appearance at the Garden of Eden-style after-party at Boulevard 3. Joints hung from the ceiling and bikini-clad models blew bubbles, as guests including 1. David Duchovny and his "Californication" costar Natasha McElhone, took it all in.

Here's one awards show where Helen Mirren and Tom Hanks had no shot at a sweep of the honors: Spike TV's Scream 2007, which honored gore fests and comic books over period pieces and dramas. 1. Rob Zombie, left, Slash and Alice Cooper rocked out at the wild affair, which kicked off with fake entrails exploding into the crowd. "It's not your mama's award show!" Harrison Ford aptly said as he picked up his Hero Award at the Greek Theatre on Oct. 19. While a 2.

David Beckham waited until the day after the 2007 ESPY Awards to land in L.A., thereby giving other sports stars a fighting chance to get some attention. The New Orleans Saints' 1. Reggie Bush gave props to his mini-me, which was used in an animated skit during the July 11 award show at the Kodak Theatre, while Indy 500 winner 2. Dario Franchitti brought along his real-life plus one, wife Ashley Judd. 3.

In his take on Arthur Schnitzler's well-trodden play "Reigen," writer-director Peter Mattei traces a connection through a miscellany of New Yorkers, beginning with a prostitute (Vera Farmiga) who services a contractor (Domenick Lombardozzi) on a waterfront as barren as the characters' interior landscapes.